Shooting suspect sought

STOCKTON - A couple were shot inside their home in the 400 block of West Bianchi Road on Wednesday morning by one of their housemates, police said.

Joe Goldeen

STOCKTON - A couple were shot inside their home in the 400 block of West Bianchi Road on Wednesday morning by one of their housemates, police said.

The assailant remains at large and is considered armed and dangerous, according to police.

West Bianchi was cordoned off between Pacific and Claremont avenues for approximately three hours, and the Stockton police SWAT team was called in to search the residence for the roommate, identified by police as Dwight Smith, 25, a black man standing 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 170 pounds. He is wanted on suspicion of attempted homicide.

The victims, a 32-year-old woman and a 39-year-old man, were being treated for wounds they suffered after Smith reportedly chased them throughout the house and fired one round from a shotgun, striking both victims, police spokesman Officer Joe Silva said.

"We are now searching for him," Silva said late Wednesday afternoon following an unsuccessful attempt to locate Smith in the home and the surrounding neighborhood.

Police received an initial call of a woman shot at about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. Upon arrival, they discovered the second victim. The woman was found on a neighbor's lawn and was transported to a hospital. The man got to the hospital in a private car. Both were able to speak with investigators after the shooting, Silva reported.

Neighbors, many of whom were locked inside their homes behind police lines until 12:15 p.m. while the area remained an active crime scene, said their section of Bianchi Road with its single-family homes is considered tightknit and safe. Many people have lived there for decades. Some described the home where the shooting took place as "the rental" where several tenants had lived over the years.

Neighbor Eva Lopez, 32, who was home during the shooting and subsequent search, had to call in to her employer to say she couldn't leave for work. She had seen the suspect, whose name she didn't know, earlier in the week, and he indicated there was trouble in the home.

"He said he was having problems with those guys. He said he was going to move out at the end of the month. He was a good dude just trying to look out for his family. Man, that's too bad," Lopez said, adding that she believed Smith lived in a room in the house with his girlfriend and her small daughter.

Police ask that citizens call if they have information pertaining to this investigation. The general number is (209) 937-8377, the Investigations Unit is (209) 937-8323, or Crime Stoppers is (209) 946-0600, where callers can remain anonymous. Crime Stoppers pays cash rewards up to $10,000. Citizens may also text information to CRIMES (274637) and type the keyword TIPSPD and then their tip, or log on to the Stockton Police Department's Facebook page and click "Submit A Tip."